The city woke up before I did.
Not by much though, maybelike ten minutes. But ten minutes was enough for Caldenmere to go from quiet to a full on rock concert like holy shit. Its Like someone flipped a switch and everything that had been holding its breath decided now was the time. All you heard was voices and oh a nice smell of bread from somewhere close enough to make my stomach jump about it and a woman near by with windows up beating a rug like it owed her money.
I got up my wall. My back had a lot to say about the stone wall.
Sable was already outside the box sitting
with her legs crossed up a piece of travel bread in one hand and her sword across her knees. She looked like she slept exactly as much as she needed and woke up with a full on plan for the day.
She looked at me and held a piece of bread out.
I took it. "Thanks for the charity service"
"Dont mention it." She kept working on the sword. "You make a sound when you sleep."
"I dont snore."
"I Didnt say snore. I was being polite about it."
I ate the bread which was actually super stale and almost chipped my tooth, but was genuinely one of the best things I had eaten since landing in this world.
"We should move," she said. "Guild opens at sixth bell. We got around two hours, maybe. I want to go through the south quarter on the way."
I didnt have much to offer so I didnt say anything.
We left as the city was getting super busy. Gutter Intuition had been building a rough map of Caldenmere since last night apparently and learning street patterns and how people moved and where things were.
As we got closer to the south quarter, the entire vibe changed.
The first thing I noticed was the smell of old water soaked into stone and less of the typical morning noise you would hear. The people were also moving with their heads down and not talking. Then we turned a corner and I saw.
The flood was weeks ago apparently and was long gone, but people had still been working to fix things. But weeks doesn't seem long enough when the damage goes this deep. There was eaterlines still marked the walls and doorways that were all messed up from being underwater. Tons of ruined furniture still sat in piles along the street.
I saw this old man sitting outside what liked to be a shop, just sitting, watching the street with the face of someone who was trying to remember the good times. A bunch of kids ran between the junk piles and they looked supern starved and dressed wrong for the cold. People around were also washing clothing on this long line that strung between two buildings that had clearly been sitting in water not long ago.
Gutter Intuition moved through the district.
It came back with one word.
Waiting.
Just waiting.?
"The relief money," I said.
"Twelve thousand gold," Sable said quietly. "Taken before it ever left the city. People down here were supposed to get emergency housing funds, food supply support, materials to fix the damage. None of it came. The official word was administrative delay. Drevin Hallast signed off on that statement personally."
I looked at the old man outside the shop. He hadnt moved and I asked.
"How long ago did the flood happen?:
"Six weeks." he said
Six weeks of waiting for some help and nothing.
The whole situation pissed me right off.
"Okay," I said.
"Okay what." Sable said.
"Okay, i get why we came this way."
Sable didnt say anything to that. She just started walking again and I followed her north toward the
Guild.
We left the south quarter, but I didnt stop thinking about it.
Gutter Intuition had given me one word for what that place felt like.
Waiting.